Having won three out of nine games at the start of the Ligue 1
season, AS Monaco are some way off the third place they finished in
last season. Having lost a few player sin the summer,
including Anthony Martial to Manchester United, the French side, who
have been the subject of controversy over their requirement to pay
no tax, are looking to settle the side and find some form.

Monaco lost the lead three
times to Guingamp in their last game, but they are strong up front
with AC Milan's Stephen El Shaarawy on loan, who joins up with
Thomas Lemar, who is their current top scorer. Their chances
are mostly supplied by Bernard Silva, a creative midfielder and
Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho, who AVB was very keen on
signing a few years back. Not knowing too many of the players
we will face there are some familiar faces, with Jeremy Toulalan the
captain and French international midfielder; another player we tried
to sign in Real Madrid loanee defender Fabio Coentrao; Ricardo
Carvalho, the ancient ex-Chelsea central defender and two players we
have been up against in Europa League opposition, namely, Benfica's
Helder Costa (on loan) and Lofty striker Lacina Traore, who was on
loan at Anzhi Makhachkala at the time and was subsequently loaned to
Everton.

There is no doubt that the
squad of players they have available, which also includes
Brazilians, a couple of Croatians, more Portuguese, a couple of
Italians and a handful of African players is large, but what the
quality is like, we will find out. Currently managed by
Leonardo Jardim, installed by the President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who
bought the club in 2011 and oversaw a period of big spending, which
has now had to be cut back, the Portuguese coach has brought in many
of his fellow countrymen. Having beaten Young Boys of Bern in
the CHampions League qualifying round, they were knocked out by
Valencia ain the next qualifier and have found themselves in the
Europa League.

It may not be the
competition they have been used to, but their reduced squad might
find it more to their liking, as they strive to find a pattern of
play that suits them. As for Tottenham, they go into the game
without our new signing Son and with limited forward options, this
may hamper the side's ability to bring home three points from the
Principality, but they should have enough about them if they play
like they did at the weekend to earn at least a point.

Tottenham emerged from a
deserted Louis II with a Europa League point, but were left thinking
it could have been more than the 1-1 draw they played out against AS
Monaco.

There were no changes were
made from the 4-1 victory over Manchester City, but the team they
faced had been struggling in the French League and gained a point at
Anderlecht in their first group game, but despite losing a number of
big names in the summer, they still had enough familiar stars to
make things difficult for Tottenham. And so it proved from the
start, as within two minutes, defender Andrea Raggi won a header at
a corner and put it wide, but Spurs moved to the opposite end of the
pitch when they launched an attack that saw Dier take the ball
forward, play it to Eriksen, who helped it on to Trippier and the
right back's low ball in to the near post was nudged just wide by
annoying ex-Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho for a corner. He
has lost none of his whingeing, claiming a push on him as he slid
the ball off.

One of the Monaco players
known to us was the lanky forward Lacina Traore and he showed that
he had an eye for goal, when he hit a first time shot as he was
played through on the left, but it was way off a target and ended up
a long way behind the goal in the vacuous stadium. Both sides
were probing in wide positions, but the final ball into the box was
invariably cleared away, although in the 20th minute, Kane received
the ball through the left side of the penalty area and took the ball
away from Subasic, as the keeper came out to him. Harry
sensibly laid it back to Chadli, who was following up behind him and
the Belgian international dinked a shot at goal that just cleared
the bar, with defenders getting back onto the goal-line to cover for
the out of position goalie. Hugo Lloris was called into action
when Adama Traore strode forward with the bal and let go a low shot
from 28 yards out that swerved and bounced just in front of the
Spurs captain, but he got his body behind it and kept the
effort out, with Jan Vertonghen clearing away the loose ball.
The other Traore had a headed chance, which he put over the top from
an offside position.

In the 35th minute, Erik
Lamela took the ball past a couple of Monaco players and passed up
the right wing to Nacer Chadli, who went between two opponents with
a nutmeg. Running infield, he passed across the pitch to Dele
Alli, who hit a shot at goal, the goalkeeper's save took a touch off
Raggi and falling behind them, Lamela, who had raced up the pitch,
had the simple task of knocking the ball into the empty net from the
edge of the six yard box. It was a well-worked goal and Lamela
indicated his growing confidence by keeping up with play from a deep
position to finish it off.

The expected response from Monaco came quickly, with Lemar trying a
shot that Hugo pushed wide and from the corner, Coentrao was
stretching to get a header on target, which he failed to manage. The
game moved from end to end, with Spurs having a good opportunity to
score, with Alli playing the ball into Kane's path, but his shot was
deflected by defender Fabinho and blocked by keeper Subasic, denyign
the Spurs striker who may have done better. Then it was Monaco's
turn, with Lacina Traore, who put a diving header wide from close
range at the far post following a long cross. Vertonghen denied
Lacina Traore at a low ball to the near post and he and the Ivory
Coast forward challenged for the ball.

Despite Monaco slinging in a few high balls into the Spurs area,
there was little danger resulting from them, so the half-time
whistle saw Spurs leading by a single goal.

The start of the second half was quite subdued with neither team
getting forward with any urgency and Eriksen's dipping free-kick
that hardly troubled Subasic the only effort worth mentioning. Ten
minutes into the half, a nasty incident occurred when Rose slid into
a challenge and Fabinho stood on his hand as he hurdled him, leaving
the Spurs man with a bleeding finger thanks to the Monaco player's
studs.

Just before the hour Leonardo Jardim brought on AC Milan striker
Stephan El Shaaraway and it was the move that changed the game.
Vertonghen blocked a shot on the left side of our box from the
loanee before Alli and Townsend linked ot set up Kane, whose shot
was deflected wide. From the resulting corner, Dier won a header and
glanced it at goal, with the keeper saving well low down on the
goal-line, with another header a minute later from Harry Kane,
getting on the end of a cross from the right by Trippier that he put
straight at Subasic.

Dier did well to get a block on a shot by Adama Traore, with the
ball looping high into the air before dropping over the bar. Clinton
N'Jie had come on as a sub for Lamela and looked sharp, but was
often out-numbered when he got forward. As it was, it was Monaco's
sub who had a vital involvement, getting on the end of a right wing
cross from Dirar, nodding it down from the edge of the six yard box
and the ball squirmed under Lloris to record the equaliser. It was a
disappointing goal to concede when things looked fairly comfortable
and Monaco rarely threatening. However, a one goal lead needs to be
protected robustly and chances that came our way needed to be put
away. They weren't and the home side got a leveller.

Within minutes, only good defending kept the score at 1-1, when
Dirar let fly with a swerving low shot from 25 yards and Lloris
saved it, but it spilled in front of goal. Cue Danny Rose, who
darted in to clear the ball away from the danger zone as substitute
Carillo closed in on what must have looked to him like a simple
opportunity. It was good reading of the play by Rose, but also a
brave tackle, as he got hurt again when he collided with the Monaco
winger.

A goalmouth scramble in the Tottenham penalty box came to nothing
and Eriksen hit a free-kick, but it struck the wall and went off for
a corner. There was little goalmouth action following that and the
last chance fell to Adama Traore, who had a long range shot that
went a long way wide.

A draw is not a bad result, but I am sure the players will be
thinking that they should have been out and in the clear at the top
of the group with two wins rather than having Qarabag at our heels
after they beat Anderlecht. Hopefully that bodes well for our next
match, but the performance showed that the team are growing in
understanding and fluidity. Our play on the break gave Monaco
problems, but the next step is learning to finish off matches like
this to make sure the other side don't have a chance of getting back
into them.

Erik Lamela showed something approaching the form we were hoping
from him and with a sound base of Alli and Dier, the team can launch
attacks from deep, with our players making good runs and passing
effectively to cause the oppo damage.

Here's to more of the same and the sooner we qualify for the
knock-out stages, the sooner we can rest some of our stars.

Pete Stachio

PUB
FACT*

AS Monaco had their name
taken from a Tourism slogan that read "Nowhere is as good as Monaco".

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What you
thought

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Other scores
during this round of matches :

Group A

Molde (NOR)

1

Ajax (HOL)

1

Thursday

Glasgow Celtic

2

Fenerbahce (TUR)

2

Thursday

Group B

Liverpool

1

Sion (SWI)

1

Thursday

Rubin Kazan (RUS)

0

Bordeaux (FRA)

0

Thursday

Group C

PAOK (GRE)

1

Borussia Dortmund (GER)

1

Thursday

Krasnodar (RUS)

2

Qabala (AZE)

1

Thursday

Group D

Legia Warsaw (POL)

0

Napoli (ITA)

2

Thursday

Club Brugge (BEL)

1

Midtjylland (DEN)

3

Thursday

Group E

Dinamo Minsk (RUS)

0

Rapid Vienna (AUS)

1

Thursday

Villarreal (SPA)

1

Vitoria Plzen (CZE)

0

Thursday

Group F

Sporting Braga (POR)

1

Groningen (HOL)

0

Thursday

Marseille (FRA)

0

FC Slovan Liberec (SVN)

1

Thursday

Group G

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR)

1

SS Lazio (ITA)

1

Thursday

St. Etienne (FRA)

2

Rosenborg (NOR)

2

Thursday

Group H

Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS)

2

Skenderbeu (ALB)

0

Thursday

Besiktas (TUR)

1

Sporting Lisbon (POR)

1

Thursday

Group I

Belenenses (POR)

0

Fiorentina (ITA)

4

Thursday

FC Basel (SWI)

2

Lech Poznan (POL)

0

Thursday

Group J

Qarabag (AZE)

1

Anderlecht (BEL)

0

Thursday

Group K

Schalke 04 (GER)

4

Asteras Tripolis
(GRE)

0

Thursday

Sparta Prague (CZE)

2

Apoel Nicosia (TUR)

0

Thursday

Group L

Augsburg (GER)

1

Partizan Belgrade
(SER)

3

Thursday

AZ Alkmaar (HOL)

2

Athletic Bilbao (SPA)

1

Thursday

Group J Table

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

GD

1

Tottenham Hotspur

2

1

1

0

4

2

4

+2

2

Qarabag

2

1

0

1

2

3

3

-1

3

AS Monaco

2

0

2

0

2

2

2

0

4

Anderlecht

2

0

1

1

1

2

1

-1

Position before match :
N/A
Position after match : 1st

Position before match :
Position after match :
Position after the weekend :

* Pub facts may not actually be true, but after a
few pints everyone will think so.